Step-guard for passenger-cars.



H. HOWSON.

STEP GUARD FOR PASSENGER CARS.

APPLICATION FILED 00131, 1919.

1,032,832. Patented July 16, 1912.

3 SHEET B-SHEET 2.

HQ HOWSON.

STEP GUARD FOB. PASSENGER CARS. 7

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 31, 1910.

1,032,832. Patented July 16, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

E9142. I a r IQ 172 f o I 2 o 0 Bill-RY 153 fil -1 3M314. rnnnsrnvmm, 'nssmnoa ,ro 1G. mun. or PHILADELPHIA, rnnnsrnvama, a conrona'rron or r'mmsm contrary, VAR A- To all whom 'it may concern:-

Be it known that I, HENRY HowsoN, a

' citizen of the United States, residing in drawings :-Figure 1, is a side v1 ew of s ient of a passenger car to illustrate m invention; Fig. 2, is a transverse sectiona view on the line 22,..F1g.-

1; Fi 3, is a view similar to Fig. ,2, showing e guard raised and the door in the open posltion; Fig. 4, 1s a sectional plan new on the line 4-4, Fig. 1; showing the 4 side of a car platform with two sets of fold- I anism; Fig;'11, is a view illustrating the ing doors and movable step guards; Fig. 5, is, a perspective view of one of the guards; Fig. 6, is. a transverse sectional view show: ing my invention applied to a sliding door; Fig. 7, is a transverse sectional view'illustrating the guard operated by hand mechanism independentlfy of the doors; Figs. 8 and 9, are views 0 guard; Fig- 10, is a view showing a still further modification in which the guard is yieldingly connected to the operatin mechguard provided with a yielding section at its edge; Figs. 12 and 13, are views of modifications in which the tread of the step is raised to meet the guard; Figs. 14 and 15, are views illustrating the movable tread of the step capable of being lowered on 'the movement of the guard to the closed position; Fig. 16, is a view of a guard arranged to be raised to inclose the tread of the step instead of being lowered as in Fig. 1; and Figs. 17, 18 and 19, are sectional views illustrating modifications in which the guard slides laterally to either close or expose the step.

A is the body of the car.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed October 31, 1810. Serial No. 690,017.

modified forms of the PATENT oFFicE.

'rnr-eunnn roa rAssnncnn-cans.

B is the platform made in the ordinary manner and supported by the usual beamsof the car. D is a fixed step, which may be ofany type desired and may have one or two treads, -If necessary, according to the height of the latform. The step can be secured to the amework in the usual manner.

Means have heretofore been provided for protecting the step by mechanism attached to doors which close the assageway to the platform or the step has nected with the doors so that it will be raised when the doors are closed and lowered intoposition when the doors are opened. Movable steps are objectionable, as a person is liable to mount the step when it is being tion. In many instances it IS desirable to have one or, more swinging doors at the side of a platform or slidi doors, and in some instances it may be deslrable to guard viding doors. I make the step guard entirely independent of gates, rails or doors at the side of the car so that b the invention the step can be covered wit or without the use of doors at the side of .the platform. E is the shield or guard having, in the present instance, arms 0 which have hubs e mounted on a shaft F adapted to bearings f secured to the step or framework of the car. In Figs. 1 and 2, I have illustrated the shaft F rovided with a bevel gear wheel f, whic meshes with a bevel wheel 9 -on a vertical shaft G extending through the platform B and forming a pintle of the door I which is hinged and so arranged as to close the side of the platform leading to the step I). The-door may be one of a pair of hinged doors, or it may be a single door closing the passageway. When the door is in the closed position the guard E is down, resting over the tread ortion d of the step D preventing the use 0 the step, but when the door is moved to the open position the guard E will be raised through the medium of the gears g and 1 so that the step tread will be exposed and can, be used by passengers either in boarding or alighting from the. car. In the construction illustrated in Fig. 2, the guard E is positively connected to the shaft so that it must move with it, but in Patented July 16, 1912.

C which project from the main framework n movably conmoved either into its closed or open posithe steps at the side of a car without pro- Fig. 10, I have shown a modification in which the guard E is moved by the arm E on the shaft and between the arm and the guard is a spring e which would yield if.

there were an obstruction on the step, so that if a passenger was about to mount the step and the guard was moved to the closed position it would not pinch the foot of the passenger but would yield until the foot was withdrawn when it would complete its movement. Instead of this construction, the construction shown in Fig.11 may be used for accomplishing the same purpose and this consists of a yielding section 6 located at the outer end of the guard so that if there is any obstruction the section c will yield until the obstruction is removed, when it will automatically close against the step by its own weight orby a spring.

In Fig. 6, I have illustrated my invention operated by asliding door I instead of a pivoteddoor, asillustrated in Fig. 2. The sliding door can be actuated in any suitable manner and has a rack 25 in the present instance which meshes with a pinion g on the shaft G, which is geared to the shaft F on which the guard E is mounted, so that on the move-- vment of the door the guard will be moved to its open or closed position. I prefer to arrange the gearing so that the. guard will not be closed until the door is moved to such a position that a person cannot pass through the opening, after which the guard can be operated. This prevents the operation of the guardwhen the step is being used. See broken gear 9 Fig. 8.

In Fig: 7, I have illustrated the guard operated by an independent lever g which is mounted on the shaft G and located at any convenient point on or near the platform, so that on turning the lever the guard can be moved .into or out of posit-ion. A guard of this construction may be used on a platform which is not provided with doors or gates, ormay be used when it is desiredto independently operate the guard and the doors.

While in Fig. 1 the guard, is made of a continuous curved piece, preferably of metal, in Fig. 8 the guard E is made of a series of segments 6*, one sliding past the other, each section having a projection and the lower section is connected to the shaft so that when it is raised and lowered it will move the other sections. In this construction there would be no space between one of the side sills C and the floor of the platform B, as the parts will telescope directly under the edge of the platform.

In Fig. 9, I have shown another modification in which a flexible guardE is used,

made up of either steel strips or WOOdBIl' lowered to meet it.

while the rear end'may be weighted as at e, or connected toa spring so as to keep the guard taut when in its closed posit on.

I preferably make the guard curved, as

illustrated in Fig. 2, or inclined at such an angle, as illustrated in Fig. 9, that it will be impossible for any one to step upon the guard and retain a foothold thereon when the car is in motion.

In some instances it may be desirable to slightly raise the step so as to move it out of position and at the same time limit the movement of the guard, and this may be accomplished as in Figs. 12 and 13. Fig. 12

illustrates the tread of the step exposed and,

in position to be used, while Fig. 13 shows the tread d raised at an angle and the guard I The guard E? in this instance is mounted ona shaft F", while the tread section d of the step is mounted on a shaft D geared to the shaft F, so that when one of the shafts is turned the parts will be either separated or moved toward each other.

In Figs. 14 and 15, I have shown a modification in which the tread of the step is lowered slightly as the guard E ismoved to the closed position and when the guard is moved clear of the step the tread section D is moved to a horizontal position, as in Fig. 14. In this construction it would be impossible for a person to retain a foothold onthe step after the guard has commencedto close, so that there is no likelihood of a person having a foot caught between the tread and the guard.

Fig. 16, is a view illustrating a still fur ther modification in which a fixed step tread (Z is used and in place of-a guard passing between the riser of the step and the platform the flexible guard 'E is used, which travels under the tread and moves upward in the direction of the arrow to close the tread. This guard can be operated by an arm attached to a movable shaft and returned by a spring roller 72. or its equivalent.

In Figs. 17, 18 and 19, I have illustrated a modification in which the guard E is ar- 1 ranged to slide laterally to expose or close the tread d of the fixed step D and this guard is preferably made in the form of .a laminated structure; the plates of the structure being so connected that one plate By this constructionwill engage another. the several plates can be assembled in a very small space at one end of the step. I have shown a rackn on the door meshing with a pinion n on a shaft N on which is a gear wheel 11, meshing with a rack 11. carrying the first section of the laminated structure, and the parts are so arranged in the present instance that the door will close half-way before the guard moves, giving time for a person to clear the step before the guard closes, and when the door is opened the guard will move during the'first half of the movement of the door, thus the tread of the step will be cleared before the i door-is fully opened,

While I have shown the guard actuated through the medium of mechanism connected to the door, it will be understood that it may be operated independently of the doors, if desired, and other means of operating the guard may be resorted to without departing from the essential features of the invention.

It will be understood that the invention may be used in connection with any type of door desired, either a single swinging or sliding door, or a pair" of swinging, or sliding doors. The doors may be swung over the plat-form or out from the platform as desired. a

It will be understood that where the platform is both the ingress and the egress pas- -sageway, a single guard may be used to ed for use on street railway passenger cars pendently of the means for ,40

where it is the common practice to provide only one step, it will be understood thatit can be used onsteam or inter-urban lines, where one or more steps are used and where the 'door or ate closing the passageway from the plat orm may be controlled indeprotecting the step. 5

I claim -1. The combination of a platform having a doorway, a door arranged to close said doorway, a fixed step under the doorway, a movable guard for. the step separate Jfroni the door, and means for moving said guard, said guard when in one positlon covering the step and when in the other position exposing both the tread and the riser, and being out of the path of the person mounting the step.

2. The combination of a platform, a step at one side of the platform, and a movable guard arranged to cover the tread of the step and adapted to move into a space under the platform. I

3. The combination of a platform, a fixed step, a movable guard independent of the step, an operating shaft, and means connecting the operating shaft with the guardso that on turning the shaft the guard will be moved either over the tread of the step or clear of it,

- 4. The combination of a platform, a fixed step at one side of the platform, a curved guard pivotally mounted, and means for operating the guard so as to move it in position over the tread of the step or clear of the step and out of the path of the person mounting the step.

5-. The combination of a platform, a step at the side of the platform, a door for closing the passageway leading from the platform, a guard arranged to cover the tread of the step, and means connecting the guard with the door so that on closing the door the guard will be moved to a position to close the step and on opening the door the guard will bemoved clear of the tread of the step.

6. The combination in a platform of a fixed step at the side of the platform, a

guard for the step, a shaft on which the guard is 'mounted, means for turning the shaft to move the guard so that it will assume a position over the tread of the step or a position between the riser of the step and the platform.

7. Thecombination of a fixed step, a guard for closing the step, means for operating the guard, and means to allow the guard to yield in .case it meets an obstruc=- tion on the ste when closed.

8. The combination of a fixed ste-p, a oted guard, a shaft on which the guard is pivoted, an arm for moving the guard, and flexible meansbetween the arm and the guard to allow the guard to yield in the event of it coming in contact with an obstruction on the step.

9.- The combination in a platform, of a step at one side of the plat-form, a guard, and means for actuating-both the tread of the step and the guard to prevent the use of the step.

. In testimony whereof, I have signed my name tothis specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses,

HENRY HOVVSON. Witnesses:

WM. E, SHUPE, WM. A. BARR. 

